EGYPT: A cold welcome
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Recent statements by the nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador have caused discomfort in Egypt.
Margaret Scobey, a former ambassador to Syria, vowed to pressure President Hosni Mubarak’s government to make political changes and release political opponent Ayman Nour, who was jailed in 2005 for five years.
Scobey reportedly said that there was no conflict between pushing Egypt to pursue reform while seeking its assistance to achieve peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Scobey’s statements contrast to the approach of the current ambassador, Francis J. Ricciardone, who has adopted a relatively mellow tone on Egypt’s human rights record. But they are in line with the position of Congress. In December, Congress passed a bill reducing U.S. aid to Egypt by $100 million. The European parliament also criticized Egypt’s human rights record last month.
Some observers here dismissed Scobey’s statements as an attempt to interfere in Egypt’s domestic affairs. In a satirical tone, prominent columnist Hamdi Rizq compared Scobey to a hurricane that is expected to hit Egypt in June after Ricciardone leaves.
“Hurricane Scobey hit the Syrian shores violently and caused terrible damage to the Syrian-American relations,’ he said. ‘Relations between the two countries could not be any worse. Wherever you go, Scobey will get you, even if you hide in high towers.’
But Scobey’s stance may be welcomed by human rights activists, who have been critical of the current ambassador’s approach.
— Noha El-Hennawy in Cairo